Saturday 27 February 2010

Logitech MX518 Optical Gaming Mouse


I have been looking for a new mouse for a while and after a bit of trawling on the internet, decided to purchase the Logitech MX518.

The first thing that I noticed about this mouse is the size of it, it's quite big in comparison to the standard style mouse that ships with most PCs. Approximately 130mm long, 65mm wide and just under 50mm at it's highest point. The mouse is quite light for it's size, but it is the ergonomic shape that seems to fit perfectly into your hand. With some of the smaller mice, prolonged usage can lead to your hand cramping, but this has not happened so far.

The buttons are well positioned, they do not get in each others way and I have not pressed any accidentally whilst gaming. The navigation (arrows) buttons are perfectly placed beside the thumbs resting area, I have found myself using these a lot more regularly for even simple tasks such as browsing. They seem like a design feature and are comfortable to use, unlike a lot of mice where they appear to be stuck onto the side as an afterthought.

This shape could also be a problem; I have small hands and find the mouse extremely comfortable. For users with longer fingers or bigger hands I would recommend that you try before you buy.

The shape also causes a second potential problem; this mouse is sculpted for right handed people only. I tried using it with my left hand, but the navigation buttons became unreachable and it was extremely uncomfortable to use.

The design on the mouse is interesting, it has been shaded to look like it is uneven, but in fact it is super smooth.

The mouse worked 'out of the box', I am currently running Gentoo 64 bit and Fedora 12 64 bit. No issues with buttons etc not working, or searching for alternative drivers.

The speed of 1600 dpi is probably a luxury most people do not need, this can be changed. Although a lot of users have been raving about this mouse for first person shooter (FPS) games, I have found that the extra speed is very useful on real time strategy games like the Command & Conquer series, the extra speed is useful. The mouse has five speed settings to allow the user to modify it as they choose.

In summing up I love this mouse, it is perfect for me; comfortable to use and almost tailor made for my hand.

You should buy this mouse if:
* you are into PC gaming
* you have quite small hands
* you are right handed

if you do not fit all three of the criteria then I suggest you look elsewhere.

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